Tag Archives: Pigeon Forge

Parrot Mountain’s Origin and Mission

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Origin of Parrot Mountain and Garden of Eden

Parrot Mountain is a result of a vision the owner had in July 1995. He left Mississippi with his family and came to the mountains of Tennessee and was led to the land that is called Parrot Mountain and Garden of Eden.

The vision was to build a garden landscaped with flowers, plants, birds and most importantly with scriptures from the word. The scriptures are planted throughout like seeds through the gardens to be a testimonial that there is a Great God who reigns eternal in the heavens and that all things are made were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made that is to say in the beginning God created all things. As you stroll through the gardens not the beautiful color of the birds and flowers how their colors give Him glory and we believe that we, as His creation, should give him glory.

And so seven years after moving to the mountains the gardens were opened on August 28, 2002.

Our Mission here at Parrot Mountain and Garden of Eden.

  1. Is to be a witness and declare His name that The Lord God is the Creator of the heavens and the earth. That all things were made by Him and without Him was not anything made that was made. For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.
  2. To provide a shelter for abused or neglected birds and a home for birds that need a place for whatever reason.
  3. For the propagation of endangered or threaten species. To increase the numbers so that they do not become extinct like the Passenger Pigeon and Carolina Parakeet once native to the United States. To educate the public about these magnificent creatures and keeping in harmony with the beauty and serenity of the mountains.

We were thoroughly blessed and enjoyed our time we spent at Parrot Mountain. I have already shared a couple of post with you about our visit. The Origin and Mission above was copied from a handout given when you enter. I trust they do not mind me recopying it here. Pictures were added by me. If you ever are up in the Pigeon Forge, Tennessee area, it will be well worth your effort to visit them.

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These pages from them have some nice photos:

Articles written here:

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Plantain-eater at Parrot Mountain

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Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

By them the birds of the heavens have their home; They sing among the branches. He waters the hills from His upper chambers; The earth is satisfied with the fruit of Your works. (Psalms 104:12-13 NKJV)

The western plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator), also known as the grey plantain-eater or western grey plantain-eater, is a large member of the Turaco family, a group of large arboreal near-passerine birds restricted to Africa.

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

This species is a resident breeder in open woodland habitats in tropical west Africa. It lays two or three eggs in a tree platform nest.

These are common, noisy and conspicuous birds, despite lacking the brilliant colours of relatives such as the violet turaco. They are 50 cm long, including a long tail. Their plumage is mainly grey above spotted with brown. The head, erectile crest, neck and breast are brown streaked with silver. The underparts are whitish, heavily streaked with brown.

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

Western plantain-eater has a thick bright yellow bill, and shows a white wing bar in flight. The sexes are identical, but immatures have a black woolly head without silver streaking.

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) at Parrot Mountain

This bird is similar to the closely related eastern plantain-eater. The latter species has white tail bars, and lacks the chest bars and dark wing feather shafts of its western relative. This species feeds on fruit, especially figs, seeds and other vegetable matter.

We first encountered this amazing bird created by the Creator at the Houston Zoo this past spring. Those were in an enclosure with the normal fences to try to photograph through. That is what made this visit to Parrot Mountain so special because we were in a free-flying aviary with them.

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) Houston Zoo

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) Houston Zoo by Lee

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) Houston Zoo

Western Plantain-eater (Crinifer piscator) Houston Zoo

Western plantain-eater has a loud cow-cow-cow call, very familiar in west Africa. (Info from Wikipedia)

Here is a video I took of the birds in the aviary feeding. The Plantain-eater comes in at tries to intimidate the Cardinal and then starts his call. If you watch him/her, you will notice it seems to be afraid of that cardboard dish holding the fruit. Hence my chuckle. I’ll tell you more about those other birds later.

“But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy. Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace.” (James 3:17-18 NKJV)

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Other Parrot Mountain Blogs

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Parrot Mountain’s Prayer Garden

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And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. (Matthew 14:23 KJV)

The Prayer Garden at Parrot Mountain is very peaceful and lovely. Thought I would share some of those photos this time. At the entrance there are two angel statues and then as you enter.

Angel

Angel

There are three crosses and some signs with verses:

Parrot Mountain Landscape and Signs

Three Crosses and Signs

As you go in further there are more signs, a garden tomb with an angel and a place where the Savior was lain. More signs and walkway with sculptures in them. Here are more of the photos of this area of Parrot Mountain.

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Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee
Fellowship in the Smokies
Peaceful Stream
Salmon-crested (Moluccan) Cockatoo at Parrot Mountain
Are You Missing Something?
Sharing The Gospel

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Salmon-crested (Moluccan) Cockatoo at Parrot Mountain

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Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Lee

Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Lee

“So God created … every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good.” (Genesis 1:21 NKJV)

Here are a few photos of the Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) or Mouccan Cockatoo, as they call it, at the Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee. On their brochure they have “In the Beginning GOD Created All Things” and “Hundreds of Tropical Birds in a Garden of Eden Surrounding.” It is a very enjoyable place to visit. The landscaping is very pretty and colorful. More about that in another post. It is very much Christian oriented.

“The salmon-crested cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) also known as the Moluccan cockatoo, is a cockatoo endemic to the south Moluccas in eastern Indonesia. They are members of the Cacatuidae – Cockatoos Family. At a height of up to 46–52 cm and weight of up to 850 g, it is among the largest of the white cockatoos. The female is larger than the male on average. It has white-pink feathers with a definite peachy glow, a slight yellow on the underwing and underside of the tail feathers and a large retractable recumbent crest which it raises when threatened, revealing hitherto concealed bright red-orange plumes to frighten potential attackers. It may also be raised in excitement or in other ’emotional’ displays. Some describe the crest as “flamingo-colored.” It also has one of the louder calls in the parrot world and in captivity is a capable mimic.

Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Lee

Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Lee

In the wild the salmon-crested cockatoo inhabits lowland forests below 1000 m. The diet consists mainly of seeds, nuts and fruit, as well as coconuts, and also eats Meat. There is additional evidence that they eat insects off the ground, and pet Moluccan cockatoos have tested positive for anemia if their diet does not include enough protein.

Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Le

Salmon-crested Cockatoo (Cacatua moluccensis) at Parrot Mtn by Lee

For every kind of beast and bird, of reptile and creature of the sea, is tamed and has been tamed by mankind. (James 3:7 NKJV)

The salmon-crested cockatoo can no longer be imported into the United States because it is listed on the Wild Bird Conservation Act. However, they are being bred in captivity. They are popular for their beauty and trainability (which makes them popular in trained bird shows). The salmon-crested cockatoo is widely considered to be one of the most demanding parrots to keep as a pet due to their high intelligence, large size, potential noise level, and need to chew. Moluccan cockatoos require a very large and very sturdy cage or aviary. Salmon-crested cockatoos are highly social and pets can be extremely cuddly, affectionate, and gentle birds.” (Wikipedia)

The photos are shown in the sequence taken. Dan was enjoying scratching its head.

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Parrot Mountain in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee

Salmon-crested Cockatoo – Wikipedia

Cacatuidae – Cockatoos Family

Wordless Birds

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